A listener in Brazil challenges Martha’s pronunciation of the odd English word antipodes. Their email exchange leads Martha to muse about a favorite collection of poems, where she first encountered this word.
YAWN n.— «Now a new generation of the seriously rich has emerged, but with a difference: the ostentation has gone. The new breed is self-made, socially aware, concerned about the planet and gives a lot of money to charity. They are the...
hootlessness n.— «We also gravitate from win-lose to win-win. We are attracted to goals and actions that are for our own highest and best good, and for the highest and best good of everyone—including the planet as a whole. Lester...
foobie n.— «She’s getting foobies. In case you didn’t know (I didn’t—what planet do I live on?) “foobies” is a term for fake boobies.» —“Happily Even After: A blog for Seattle’s Committed: Got Foobies?” by...
phillum n.— Note: From an exaggerated pronunciation of “film.” This term seems to be similar to the American fil-lim. «If you are looking for a “timepass phillum” this weekend, pass on this one. “Dil Pe Mat...
asshole footprint n.— «Regrettably, some Americans are simply not aware of how large an asshole footprint they leave on the planet.» —“Know Your Asshole Footprint” Vanity Fair Oct., 2007. (source: Double-Tongued...